Diversification of fishery activity: a cognitive approach

In recent years many coastal communities of the Mediterranean, show a high level of dependence on social and economic activity carried out by small-scale fisheries. At the same time, several Mediterranean areas are showing evident sign of distress as a result of habitat degradation and over-exploitation of resources, induced by semi-industrial overfishing. The current crisis is also influenced by growing factors such as illegal competition, reduced catches, rising costs and a lack of rational and efficient organization of the supply chain. This paper seeks to investigate the perceptions between different stakeholders regarding the effects of possible scenarios of diversification of fishery activity of small coastal communities of South Italy. Starting from a bottom-up perspective we made use of mental models and cognitive maps, to deal with the dynamic nature of the process for identify strategic objectives and policy actions.‬